Volunteering at Casa Hogar Orphanage

In addition to teaching at Flora Tristan School, I am also volunteering at the orphanage that TNT is affiliated with. On Wednesday, I worked my first shift at Casa Hogar Orphanage. The orphanage is situated in Villa Selva Alegre, a 20 minute bus journey out of Arequipa city centre. It is run by the director, Lilia, and 2 other Peruvian ladies, called 'Tia' by the children (which is Spanish for 'Aunt'). The three of them live there 24/7 and receive no pay, only their food and accommodation. They have given over their lives to looking after these children.

There are currently 19 children living at the orphanage. Generally, only children under the age of 5 are admitted, however if there are brothers and sisters who need housing together, then they are accepted into Casa Hogar.

I arrived with Anna, TNT’s Volunteer Coordinator (who is sadly leaving in a few days to return home to the US) and a new volunteer. We were welcomed by Lilia with a kiss on the right cheek, as is customary in Peru. I was also greeted by a toddler running towards me and wrapping himself around my legs, shouting 'Tia!'.

The room I entered was small, with some bookshelves and a couple of tables. This is generally where the older children do their homework . Climbing the stairs, I found myself in a small area, with a dining room to the right, a kitchen straight ahead, and the children’s bedrooms to the left. The kitchen seems so small when one considers how many mouths there are to feed. The bedrooms are small, with one for the boys, one for the girls and two for the babies. Up another flight of steps are the Tias’ living quarters and concrete sinks where all the clothes are hand washed. In addition, there is a concrete area which serves as the only outside play area that the orphanage has. Absorbing my surroundings, it came as no surprise to me that new, more spacious premises are being sought.

On a morning, the older children attend school, so there are the babies and toddlers to care for. I spent my first morning getting to know the toddlers, 3 boys, joining in playing with them. They are old enough to commence pre-school, but the feeling is that the children should be protected from outside influences that they have no control over, for as long as is reasonable. As such, Lilia asked that I introduce something educational in my time with them.

Today was my second shift. When I arrived, the children were eating breakfast.  After much encouragement for them to clear their plates, I presented the toddlers with some crayons and pictoral representations of the alphabet. It seems funny that I am attempting to teach the alphabet in Spanish! As one would expect, the toddlers' short attention spans meant they soon tired of this, so we played upstairs in the outside play area.  While the boys were happily playing, I was called to assist with the babies and changed a nappy for the first time in my life. Approaching lunchtime, I bottle fed a 5 month old baby boy, who fell asleep in my ams. This concluded my second shift.

Lilia asks that the volunteers come to Casa Hogar with an open heart, as it is so important to give these children some love, something they have been lacking in their time before coming to the orphanage. I was very touched by this, and hope that in my time there I can help the children feel loved as I did as a child.